Former Governor Terry Branstad. (file photo)
As China deals with the coronavirus outbreak, former Governor Terry Branstad — the current U.S. ambassador to China — plans to stay in Beijing. Governor Kim Reynolds says she hasn’t talked directly with Branstad, but one of her aides has.
“The Ambassador is staying. We’re not sure what Chris is going to do, but the kids are planning on coming back,” Reynolds says.
Chris and Terry Branstad have been married for 47 years. Their daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters had been living in a guest house that’s part of the U.S. Ambassador’s complex in Beijing. Alison Branstad Costa is a teacher and she had landed a job at an international school in Beijing for the children of Americans living in China.
Reynolds says there is no evidence the coronavirus is circulating in the U.S., but state public health officials have a plan if it does.